Lubricator.



No. 807,883. PATENTED DEC. 19, 1905. J. TROTTER.

LUBRIGATOR.

APPLIGATION FILED JULY 22, 1903.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES TROTTER, OF SYCAMORE, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO ALBERT J.HOPKINS, OF AURORA, ILLINOIS, AND JAMES BRENAN, OF

SYOAMORE, ILLINOIS.

LUBBICATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 19, 1905.

Application filed July 22, 1903. Serial No. 166,521.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, J AMES TROTTER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Sycamore, in the county of Dekalb and State of Illinois,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Lubricators, ofwhich the following is a full, clear, and exact specification.

My invention relates to force-feed lubricators, and more particularly tothat type employed for delivering the lubricant to a chamber or otherplace containing steam or other pressure; and the invention has for itsprimary object to provide improved and eflicientmeans for causing thelubricant to feed automatically, as desired, without the employment ofpumps or other like forcing mechanism.

IVith these ends in view my invention consists in certain features ofnovelty in the con? struction, combination, and arrangement of parts bywhich the said objects and certain other objects hereinafter appearingare attained, all as fully described with reference to the accompanyingdrawings and more particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the said drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improvedlubrioator, partly in vertical section. Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof ona smaller scale, indicating diagrammatically a boiler and steam-cheststo which the lubricant is supplied. Fig. 3 is an enlarged longitudinalsectional view of one of the automatic valves employed. Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectional view of a three-Way valve employed for disconnectingthe lubricator from either steam-chest, as desired; and Fig. 5 is a sideelevation thereof.

In illustrating the purposes and an example of one of the uses to whichmy invention is applicable I have shown it in connection with asteam-boiler and the steam-chests of a steamengine supplied by theboilersuch, for example, as a locomotive-boiler in connection with whichtwo of such steam-chests are used and consequently my lubrioator isillustrated in duplex form, although it will, nevertheless, beunderstood that the invention is equally applicable to a singlelubrioator as well as to one comprising three or more feeds. Inasmuch asthe employment of an additional feed simply involves the duplication ofthe feedpassages and controlling devices arranged therein, a descriptionof one side of the lubricator or a single feed will suflice for a fullunderstanding of the multiple form.

1 is a common form of sight-feed lubricator comprising a sight-feed orglass 2, with suitable fittings 3 4, connected together by the glass andupwardly through which and the glass the lubricant is allowed to feed asdesired under the control of a feed-valve 5, as usual, one of theglasses 2 and its complement of fittings 3 4: and valve 5 being employedfor each feed desired, two being shown in the drawings.

Assuming that the lubrioator is to be applied toa steam-boiler employedfor running a steam-engine and that the lubricant is to be fed into asteam-chest of the steam-engine or other place containing steam or otherpressure, the fitting 4 will be connected by suitable passages to thesteam-chest represented diagrammatically at 6 in Fig. 2, and the top ofthe lubrioator 1 will be connected with the steam-boiler represented at7 through suitable passages and controlling devices which will now bedescribed.

The top of the lubrioator 1 has direct connection by pipe or passage 8with a diaphragmchamber 9, which is divided into two compartments 10 11by a flexible diaphragm or suitable abutment 12, carrying a valve 13,which normally closes a relief passage or vent 14:, leading from thecompartment 10. The compartment 10 also has direct connection throughpipes or passages 15 16 with the boiler 7 or other source of pressureexcepting when such connection is intercepted by a valve 17, heldagainst its seatin a valve-housing 18 by boilerpressure and also bymeans of a spring or other suitable cushion 19. The boiler-pipe 16enters the valve-housing 18, as shown in Fig.

1, above the valve 17 and tends to seat the same, and the unseating isalso resisted by the spring 19, which is coiled around stem 20 of thevalve and bears upon a piston 21 or other suitable shoulder on thevalve-stem. The piston 21 is arranged in cylinder 22, having an air-vent23 to permit the piston 21 to move against the spring, and the lower endof this cylinder 22 is connected by a suitable passage to thesteam-chests 6 or other place containing pressure wherein it is desiredto deliver the lubricant, and it" more than one of such chests beemployed it is connected with all. Two being employed in the exampleshown in the drawings, each is provided with a feed-pipe 24, and thesefeedpipes are connected to the cylinder 22 by a cross-pipe and branch 2627, the part 27 of which is connected to the cross-pipe 25 by a fitting28, in which may be located, if desired, a three-way valve 29, wherebyeither steamchest may be shut oif from the lubricator if necessary. Thepassage 16 between the valvehousing 18 and the boiler may be under thecontrol of a suitable valve 30, and ordinarily of course the connectionbetween the steamchests and the boiler would be under the control of athrottle or other suitable means, which is indicated at 31. It will thusbe seen that when the valves 30 31 are open the action of the steamunder the piston 21 will unseat the valve 17 against the action ofspring 19, and the steam direct from the boiler will pass into the upperpart of lubricator 1 above the level of the lubricant therein. Thispressure in the lubricator, however, is substantially balanced or nearlybalanced by the pressure coming from the steam chest through the feed ordelivery pipe 24 to the upper end of the glass 2 via fitting 4 andcontrolling devices, which I will now describe. The fitting 4 isconnected by any suitable means 33 to a valve chamber or housing 32, inwhich is located a valve 34, intercepting communication between fitting4 and deliverypipe 24, which' is also connected with the valve-housing32, the valve 34 being arranged to close against or toward steampressure coming from the chest through pipe 24. The valve 34 is providedwith astem35, passing through a suitable stufling-box 36 and thence intoa cylinder 37, in which is arranged a piston 38, connected in anysuitable way to stem and receiving pressure on one side from a spring39, coiled around stem 35 and a sleeve 40, which constitutes a stop forlimiting the movement of the piston in one direction, and which pistonreceives pressure on the other side from the steam chest 6 through abranch pipe 41, which is connected to cross-pipe 25 by a suitableconnection 42, so that the pressure coming from the chest 6' tends tocompress spring 39 and unseat valve 34, and thus open free passagebetween fitting 4 and pipe 24, whereby pressure may enter the bottom oflubricator 1 for counterbalancing the pressure at the top of thelubricator and permitting the oil to feed through the pipe or passage 24and its connections to the chest 6, the pressure above the oil or at thetop of the lubricator being, if desired, sufficiently in excess of thatat the bottom so that the oil will be delivered by a force greater thanthat obtainable from mere gravity; but this preponderance of pressureshould be automatically controlled and prevented from becomingexcessive, and thereby rushing the oil out of the lubricator tooprofusely. In order to accomplish this desirable end, the bottomcompartment 11 of the diaphragm-chamber 9 is also connected by a pipe orpassage 43 with the steam-chest, if desired, through the intermediary ofthe branch 27 and a threeway fitting 44, connecting the branches 26, 27,and 43 together. Hence it will be seen that when the pressure in theupper compartment 10 of the diaphragm-chamber and on top of thelubricant equals the pressure coming from the steam-chest andv thatwhich is below the lubricant in the lubricator plus the resistance ofthe diaphragm 12 the lubricant will be fed by a force equal to theresistance of said diaphragm; but as soon as the pressure above thediaphragm and in the upper part of the lubricator exceeds the describedforce it will force the diaphragm 12 downwardly,and thereby open thevent 14, and consequently reduce the pressure in the upper part of thelubricator until the equilibrium is again established. In order,however, that the preponderance of pressure above the lubricant may noteven momentarily feed the same too profusely into the pipe 24, the valve34 is closed as soon as such preponderance of pressure accumulates, andthereby prevents further feeding of the oil. Where the device is used inconnection with steam-engines, howeversuch,' for example, aslocomotive-enginesthe pressure in the steam-chest is continuallyfluctuating, and in order that the reduction of. such pressure withincertain bounds may not result in the-closing of the valve 34 the piston38 is made of considerably larger area than said valve, so that thelowerpressure of the-steamchest will be adequate to hold the valve 34 openagainst the action of the spring 39 and the pressure of the lubricantagainst the opposite face of valve 34, any slight variations in pressureabove the lubricant that might result in excessive feeding being takencare of by automatic relief-valve 13.

45 is an emergency oiling-cup of the usual form communicating by passage46 with the oil-delivery pipe 24 and having a screw-valve 47 for closingsuch communication when desired, 48 beinga cap for such cup which isheld in place by a spring 49, confined between said cap and aturning-knob .50 on the screwvalve 47.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new therein, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a lubricator the combination with means for containing a supply oflubricant, a chamber containing fluid under pressure to be lubricatedand a source of fluid-pressure, of a fluid-pressure regulator comprisingtwo compartments having a movable abutment as a separator, a ventleading from one of said compartments and a valve for closing said ventoperatively related to said abutment, means connecting said ventedcompartment with the said means for containing the supply of lubricantand also with said source of fluid-pressure, means connecting the otherof passage leading from said lubricant-supply to the chamber to belubricated.

2. In a lubricator the combination with a receptacle for lubricant, achamber containing a fluid under pressure to be lubricated, and a sourceof fluid under pressure, of a fluid-pressure regulator connected to bothsaid source and receptacle and comprising means for reducing thepressure from said source in said receptacle, a valve interposed betweensaid regulator and source, means for opening said valve by the pressurein the chamber to be l ubricated and means for feeding the lubricantfrom said receptacle to the chamber to be lubricated.

3. In alubricator the combination with a receptacle for lubricant, achamber to be lubricated containing a fluid under pressure and a sourceof fluid-pressure, of a fluid-pressure regulator connected with saidreceptacle and source and comprising means for regulating the pressurein said receptacle coming from said source, a valve interposed betweensaid pressure regulator and source, means for opening said valve havingconnection with both said regulator and the chamber to be lubricatedwhereby the pressure in the chamber to be lubricated will open saidvalve and oppose the pressure from said source in saidpressureq'egulator. and means for conducting the lubricant from saidreceptacle to the chamber to be lubricated.

4. In a lubricator the combination with a receptacle for lubricant, achamber to be lubricated containing fluid under pressure and a source offluid under pressure, of a fluid-pressure regulator connected with saidsource and receptacle and comprising means for regulating the pressurein said receptacle coming from said source, a valve interposed betweensaid regulator and source, a piston connected to said valve, a springfor holding said valve against its seat, a cylinder inclosing saidpiston and connected with said regulator and the chamber to belubricated whereby the pressure from the chamber to be lubricated willact upon said piston and unseat said valve and will also operate saidregulator, and means for conducting the lubricant from said receptacleto the chamber to be lubricated.

5. Ina lubricator the combination with a receptacle for lubricant, achamber to be lubricated containing fluid under pressure and a source offluid under pressure, a connection between said source and receptacle, apressiu'e-regulator for controlling the pressure in said receptaclecoming from said source, a feed-outlet for the lubricant from saidreceptacle, a valve for opposing the flow of the lubricant therefrom, afluid-pressure abutment connected with said valve for opening it andexposed to the pressure in the chamber to be lubricated for opening saidvalve thereby and means for conducting the lubricant to the chamber tobe lubricated when said valve is opened.

6. In a lubricator the combination with a receptacle for lubricanthaving a feed-outlet, a chamber to be lubricated containing fluid underpressure and a source of fluid under pressure, of means connecting saidreceptacle and source, a fluid-pressure regulator interposed in saidconnection for regulating the pressure in said receptacle coming fromsaid source, a valve for opposing the discharge of lubricant from saidfeed-outlet. a fluid-pressure abutment connected with said valve foropening it, means for exposing said abutment to the pressure in thechamber to be lubricated, means connecting said fluid-pressure regulatorwith the chamber to be lubricated for opposing the pressure in saidregulator coming from said source and means for delivering the lubricantwhich passes said valve to the chamber to be lubricated.

7. In a l ubricator the combination with a receptacle for lubricanthaving a feed-outlet, a chamber to be lubricated containing fluid underpressure, and a source of fluid under pressure, of a connection betweensaid lubricantreceptacle and said source, a fluid-pressure regulatorinterposed in said connection for regulating the pressure in saidreceptacle coming from said source, a valve interposed in saidconnection between said source and said regulator, a fluid-pressureabutment for opening said valve, exposed to the pressure of the chamberto be lubricated, a lubricantdelivery passage between said outlet andchamber to be lubricated, a valve for closing said passage, afluid-pressure abutment exposed to the pressure in the chamber to belubricated for opening said second valve and a connection between saidregulator and the chamber to be lubricated for opposing the pressure inthe lubricator coming from said source by the pressure in the chamber tobe lubricated.

JAMES TROTTER. WVitnesses:

M. B. AIJLSTADT, JNo. G. ELLIOTT.

